While there have been several animated series based upon DC Comics characters over the decades, what is commonly accepted as the "DC animated universe" refers to the stable of shows and films that spin off from Batman: The Animated Series, the original show in this universe. Two characters outside of the normal Batman canon, Zatanna and Jonah Hex, appeared in several episodes of the show, but the first series to indicate a shared universe with other well-known characters was the subsequent series, Superman: The Animated Series, in which the title character had encounters with heroes such as Flash and Green Lantern.

Chase Me (2003) – A short film with no dialogue based on The New Batman Adventures.

Batman Beyond (2014) - A short film based on Batman Beyond created by Darwyn Cooke for Batman's 75th Anniversary. The short features the original voice cast of the show, as well as cameos of robotic batmen from The New Batman Adventures, Beware the Batman, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Dark Knight Returns, Michael Keaton's Batman, Adam West's Batman, and the original Batman from 1939.

Gotham Girls (2000–2002) – A Macromedia Flash web cartoon series, this was downloadable from the WB website, and featured DCAU versions of characters voiced by their original actors. A DC Comics miniseries inspired by the web series was released in 2004. All three seasons of Gotham Girls were released on the Birds of Prey DVD box set in 2008.

Lobo (2000) – A Flash cartoon series starring Lobo, the galactic bounty hunter, the web-series is a spin-off of the Superman episode "The Main Man". A wax statue with the same character design as Lobo in this series appeared in an episode of Gotham Girls and he also made a reappearance in the Justice League episode "Hereafter" briefly becoming a member of the Justice League. Both of these examples somewhat support that the webseries is part of the official DCAU, although this is still disputed.

There have also been a number of DCAU tie-in video games released to correspond with the various animated television series and films. Some of these games have original plots, while others follow previous stories; their status in DCAU canon is not yet known. The games are:

Five of these games feature voice acting from the casts of the original shows. These are: The Adventures of Batman and Robin (SEGA CD/Mega CD version), Superman, Batman Vengeance, Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu. The SEGA CD/Mega CD game, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, also features animation from one of the studios that animated Batman: The Animated Series.

Though the DCAU is an offshoot of the mainstream DC comics universe, it has also affected the DC universe in return. The following characters were originally created for their respective series in the DCAU, but were eventually adapted into the mainstream DC comic continuity:

In addition, the backstory of Mr. Freeze was adapted from his portrayal in Batman: The Animated Series, and the visuals and/or characterization of Green Lantern, Tim Drake, Supergirl, Toyman, Two-Face, Parasite, Metallo, Clayface, and many others have been applied to their comic counterparts.[citation needed] On a different note, issue #22 of DC Comics' Superman/Batman series, which explores alternate realities, had Bizarro transported to an alternate version of Gotham City patrolled by a Batman using the Batman Beyond version of the costume. The future of Batman Beyond made an appearance in Countdown to Final Crisis #21, as part of the new Multiverse in the wake of the Infinite Crisis and 52, and a Batman Beyond series is planned. In January 2015, DC published The Multiversity Guidebook which revealed that the DCAU, or a universe inspired by the DCAU, is Earth-12 in the DC Multiverse, and currently in the Batman Beyond era, while the Justice Lords Earth from the Justice League episode "A Better World" has also been added to the canon as Earth-50.[4]

With the conclusion of the Justice League Unlimited animated series, Warner Bros has moved on to adapting new versions of the various DC comics properties, rather than reviving the DCAU counterparts.

The last script written for DCAU continuity was titled Justice League: Worlds Collide. This screenplay was created to bridge the several month gap between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. The draft was eventually adapted into the February 2010 film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, with the removal of any references specific to DCAU continuity, replacing Green Lantern John Stewart with Hal Jordan, and the casting of celebrities rather than the voice actors of the DCAU.

The Batman Beyond comic series is a continuation of the Batman Beyond franchise.[5] However, it does not necessarily follow the DCAU continuity. The miniseries began in June 2010, under the title Future Evil. In August 2010, the series was announced to continue following the completion of the first arc as an ongoing series.[6] That series concluded alongside the entire line of ongoing monthly DC Comics superhero books during the 2011 revamp and relaunch, titled The New 52.

Superman Beyond, a one-shot comic set in the same universe as Batman Beyond, was released in 2011.

Batman Beyond Unlimited, a title chronicling the adventures of the future Justice League introduced in the DCAU, was released in February 2012.[7] This series published monthly triple-sized issues, containing three stories of Terry McGinnis, Clark "Cal" Kent, and the future Justice League Unlimited, respectively.[8]